Before dawn.
A dark figure raced through the quiet mountain forest.
Many nocturnal Pokémon brushed past him, only to react several seconds later, looking around in alarm and disbelief.
They looked as though they had seen a ghost.
But the "ghost" was no calmer, because the Ghost Pokémon had discovered he was human!
A human—the kind they usually toyed with and tormented!
The Ghost Pokémon thought they had been unusually merciful, staying off the mountain and leaving humans alone for ages. And now one had come straight to them?
Well!
Perfect!
They specialized in teaching fools like that a lesson!
Groups of wild Ghost Pokémon silently gave chase.
Yet after chasing him for what felt like forever, they still saw no sign of him.
The fiercest among them huddled together and guessed that the human had probably gone to the Glowing Spring at the summit.
Huh? Weren't humans terrified of that place?
This unexpected turn put some Ghost Pokémon on guard, but longing made even more of them lose their heads.
It had been far too long since they had tasted human fear and vitality!
For a time,
an eerie wind swept across the mountain behind Kitakami!
There were only a dozen or so Ghost-type Pokémon, yet they made it feel like a whole parade of spirits was on the march!
The other wild Pokémon had no choice but to stay out of their way.
Inside the wooden cabin halfway up the mountain,
a pair of bright, starry eyes opened, as though sensing what was happening outside.
"Pon?"
Boro woke with a start. "What is it?"
"Ponio~"
Ogerpon shook her head. She did not want to disturb his sleep over a vague feeling.
At that moment, on the mountaintop,
the Ghost Pokémon finally spotted the young human they had been